Posts Tagged ‘foodie’

Donuts are the new cupcake and cronuts are the new donut…but we think our croNOTS are the next big thing! (We’re calling it). You know after you core a ripe, juicy apple and slice it into rings? Looks kind of like a donut, huh? Well, with today’s Beauty Bite, we ran with it! With all the amazing beauty benefits apples bring, it really is true what they say about an apple a day…but we say bring on the toppings!

No wonder Snow White couldn’t resist…apples are such a gorgeous fruit! Not only are they easy on the eyes but these little pretties are a nutritional powerhouse. Among many various nutrients, apples have vitamins A and C, plus calcium, iron and fiber. You may already be familiar with the skin-supporting antioxidant benefits of vitamin C, as we’ve mentioned in previous posts, but one nutrient that shouldn’t be forgotten is fiber. An apple contains approximately 17% of your daily value of fiber, which is important for your body’s internal cleansing process. A beautiful body inside is a beautiful body outside! Apples also contain potassium, magnesium, and copper, all of which are beneficial to the hair by promoting growth, preventing loss and maintaining a healthy scalp. Score!

To make our pretty croNOTS, the first thing you’ll need to do is core all of your apples. You can use whatever type of apple is your favorite (so many to choose from!). Next you’ll want to slice your apple into rings…now do you see these donut-wannabees coming along?

Let’s talk toppings! To get the full donut effect you’ll need some “glaze” and some “sprinkles”. To keep things healthy, we used:

1. The “glaze”: We used flavored Greek yogurt and chose a few flavors that had especially pretty colors. For our chocolate fix, we made chocolate pudding out of an avocado…say what?! (Maybe that’s a post in and of itself!)

2. Fresh fruit. We sliced up some strawberries we had on hand, but you can use any fruit you like.

From a truck, a bowl, or straight out of the carton…we all scream for ice cream! Well today, we’ve got the scoop on how you can make a benefit packed, dairy free, super healthy version of this frozen favorite. You’ll never know the difference! Fresh cherries are the highlight of today’s recipe and we can’t wait to tell you why.

We used frozen bananas as a base for this faux ice cream. Something magical happens when you blend frozen bananas. It adds that creamy texture of ice cream without having to use cream! It’s totally genius and completely customizable. You can add any fruit you like and the bananas take on any flavor they’re blended with. The options are endless. Here’s what you’ll need for our cherry chip version:

4 frozen bananas

1 1/2 cups fresh pitted cherries, frozen

1/4 cup almond or coconut milk

1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (we used 80%)

THE PROCESS:

1. Peel your bananas and slice your cherries to remove the pits

2. Put the bananas and cherries into the freezer (3 or 4 hours)

3. Place frozen bananas, 1 cup frozen cherries and almond milk into a blender and blend until smooth

4. Pour into a container and mix in 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate and remaining 1/2 cup of sliced cherries. (We sprinkled some on top as well for the pretty factor!)

5. Put the entire container into the freezer for at least 1-2 hours

6. Start scooping! (Two scoops please!)

So let’s talk about our delicious friend, the fresh cherry..

There are so many amazing varieties of fresh cherries out there: Bing cherries, Black cherries, North Star cherries, Rainier cherries; all with great health and beauty benefits! Cherries have super high antioxidant levels. For example, the the Montmorency cherry has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any fruit with 17 different antioxidant compounds present. Woah! Antioxidants are vital to the body in order to fight free radicals…the biggest causers of aging. Free radicals are the pits! (We couldn’t resist). Tart cherries are high in melatonin which is a natural way to help that much needed beauty sleep come to fruition. (We know it’s tough to come by!) Cherry juice is also rich in vitamin A and its antibacterial properties remove toxins from the blood and fight bacteria trapped under the skin.

The month of June is the peak of cherry season! We plan on taking advantage of these sweet benefits all month long.

We are officially in the final countdown for the summer season to begin! We don’t know about you, but when it’s a zillion degrees outside all we crave is something refreshing, light and more often than not, something involving WATERMELON. If summer had a mascot, this gorgeous fruit would definitely be it. This beat-the-heat, picnic staple fits the bill in the beauty benefit department as well as having a major yum-factor. Whether you slice it up and chow as is, or incorporate it into a fun dish a la today’s recipe, we think everyone should have this farmstand favorite on hand all season long!

Before we get into the recipe (well, more like an easy assembly of yumminess!), here’s what you’ll need and here is why you need it!

1. PINEAPPLE: We think it’s impossible to eat a bite of pineapple and not suddenly feel like you are on a tropical vacation (all the more reason). Pineapple has huge amounts of vitamin C and manganese, both of which are primary antioxidants working to fight free radicals; promoting anti-aging. It also contains vitamin B-1 which is a major energy booster. More energy = being more active and that radiates from the inside out!

2. Oh hey there, WATERMELON: We just love you and your beautiful pinky-red self. It’s because of that pinky-red hue that watermelon contains lycopene, an anti-imflamatory and well-known anti-oxidant helping to neutralize those pesky free radicals. The more antioxidants in your diet, the more protected your skin is from pre-mature aging and pollutants.

3. CUCUMBER: Cucumbers are very high in silica, which is essential for building and maintaining strong nails, bones, teeth and promoting hair growth. Not to mention the flesh of a cucumber is 96% water…hello hydration!

4. BASIL: You won’t be able to avoid these big green bunches of fresh basil come summer time…and we aren’t complaining! Eating raw basil can help purify your blood from toxins. This is most helpful if you are blemish prone!

5. FETA CHEESE: Now this one doesn’t exactly rank super high on the benefit meter…but this recipe was just begging for its crumbly, salty goodness. We couldn’t resist!

Now that we have our fresh ingredients, sharpen your chef’s knife and get choppin! You’ll want to dice everything as small as you can.

So, to make our Watermelon Tartare, we used a ring mold to layer our ingredients (you can also use a biscuit cutter). Of course you could just add your chopped ingredients to a bowl/plate, but we were obsessed with how easy it was and what a presentation huh?

We started with cucumbers at the bottom, pineapple next, then watermelon, feta and finished off with pretty basil confetti. Then you gently lift off the ring mold and VOILA!

We are picturing this cute, yummy idea at just about all of our summer BBQ’s. This has Memorial Day and July 4th written ALL over it. Our heart is bursting with watermelon emojis!

ENJOY!

Do you use watermelon in any unique recipes? Plan on trying out our watermelon tartare? We want to know! Leave us a comment and dish.

With the current heat wave here on the west coast and summer fast approaching, it’s time to cool it down with an icy treat! Nothing says summer quite like a popsicle. Only with this DIY beauty benefit packed pop, there will be no need to chase down the ice cream truck to get your fix. Super refreshing and looks real fancy, but couldn’t be easier to make! Keep these babies on hand for those hot summer days and long summer nights.

For this particular pop, we wanted to really jam pack it with antioxidants. We’ve said it before, and we will say it again. A diet full of antioxidant rich foods is so beneficial for our bodies! Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that protect your cells from the effects of damaging free radicals. This is especially beneficial for our skin and is helpful in preventing pre-mature aging and maintaining elasticity. Here is a deep dive into some of the antioxidant packed ingredients in these power pops!

1. HONEYDEW MELON: In addition to being delicious, honeydew melon contains large amounts of Vitamin C (an antioxidant) as well as Copper. Having balanced levels of Copper in your diet is great for maintaining regular skin cell regeneration.

2. PEACHES: This juicy, sweet fruit contains copious amounts of both Vitamin A and Vitamin C which are both antioxidants (major ones, actually).

3. BLUEBERRIES: Out of all the fruits, blueberries are one of the most powerful when it comes to antioxidants. Blueberries are a very good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Manganese (all antioxidants).

4. LIMES: Being a citrus fruit, limes are high in…you guessed it. Vitamin C! And Vitamin C is a what? Correct…an antioxidant! Vitamin C is actually one of the most important antioxidant in nature. Adding this one to our beauty pops was a no-brainer. (Plus the tart flavor is pretty amazing)

Now that we know the antioxidant power of these pops. Lets make them, shall we? Ok beauties…here’s what you need.

1/2 of a honeydew melon, diced

1 cup cold water

1/4 cup of honey

1 pint fresh blueberries

2 ripe peaches

2 limes, juiced

THE PROCESS:

1. In a blender, add your chopped honeydew melon, honey, water and lime juice. Blend until liquified. You’ll need popsicle molds for this recipe. We used these molds and they are amazing for making at home pops! We’ve also seen tons of ideas out there to make popsicles at home using things you might already have around the house as well. (Pinterest anyone?)

2. Fill your molds 3/4 of the way full with the honeydew mixture.

3. Add whole blueberries and peach slices into the filled molds. We packed them full to get the most bang for our buck! Also, after these are frozen, you can see the peaches and blueberries peeking through…yummy AND pretty!

Put your molds into the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours for them to fully harden. Tip: when you are ready to eat them, dip the bottom of the molds in hot water to help them loosen for easier removal. For easy storage, you can place them in a large freezer bag and separate with pieces of parchment paper.

We are picturing lots of strolls on the beach and summer picnics with these pops! Enjoy!

Ever try out any of our recipes or have any beauty bites of your own? We want to see! Snap a pic and tag us on insta: @thebeautydept or on twitter: @tbdofficial